HomeNews Support provided to Yazidi survivors of kidnapping and sexual violence

Statement

Support provided to Yazidi survivors of kidnapping and sexual violence

30 April 2017

Ms. Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General

(Baghdad, 30 April 2017): A group of 36 Yazidi survivors including women, men and children
have recently been rescued from slavery, having been held in captivity by the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) for nearly three years. The Yazidi survivors safely reached Duhok two
nights ago. The Yazidi women and girls are currently being cared for at dedicated service points
set up by UNFPA, with the support of the Dutch government, and have been provided with first
response assistance, including lodging, clothing, medical and psychological first aid, even as they
are being reunited with their families. These survivors will be referred for further specialised
treatment and support at women’s centres especially established by UNFPA, with support from
the Governments of Canada and the United States. At these centres, the survivors will receive a
comprehensive range of services, including medical, psychological, psychiatric, and legal aid. It
is assessed that up to 1,500 women and girls remain in captivity and may be exposed to protracted
sexual abuse by ISIL.

“What these women and girls have endured is unimaginable," said the Humanitarian Coordinator
for Iraq, Lise Grande.

“The UN, through UNFPA, is going to do everything possible to provide the kind of specialised
medical and psychological support they need. We are incredibly grateful to the Governments of
Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States for supporting this work. The
services UNFPA is providing give hope to the people who have been most brutalised by the
conflict,” said Ms. Grande.